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In class Essay

In Class Essay

            In the short story “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the main character Aylmer is often referred to as monstrous or malicious. This is arguable because he is, indeed, simply just a victim. He is weak, delusional, and naïve in the fact that he wishes intensely to control nature and possess the ultimate power. He is adept in the field of science, and because of this, people view him as illustrious. His core imperfection is to in fact become his idea of perfection which is having supreme power. His flaw is that he cannot fathom, that this is impossible.

            Aylmer is defenseless in many ways. His passion is science. If that is taken away from him then he is nothing, or at least that is how he feels. In the story, this is exemplified when Aylmer takes a delicate amount of time extolling to his wife all of his experiments and creations in a lofty manner (Hawthorne 317-321).

            Aylmer’s ideal self is to become divine. When he compares himself to Pygmalion he says, “Even Pygmalion when his sculptured woman assumed life, felt not greater ecstasy than mine will be.” (316). When he announces this, he is proclaiming that he wants to be the ultimate creator of perfection.

            In addition, Aylmer’s greatest imperfection can not only be linked to creating perfection, but also becoming his ideal self of a god. His desire to become god and to fix everything erroneous in the world begins to abuse his mind. The fact that he cannot fix the birthmark makes it seem that he is repulsed by his wife and he perceives her in a bleak manner, nevertheless the birthmark is in all reality causing him to repulse himself, because it is the reminder of what he cannot change. The birthmark is the ultimate symbol that haunts Aylmer, incidentally reminding him of the power that he does not possess. Specifically at one point in the story, Georgiana turns to her husband and says “It is terrible to possess such power, or even to dream of possessing it.”(319).   

            Aylmer’s insane desire that stimulates his revulsion of the birthmark contradicts poor Georgiana. His disposition to love and accept Georgiana unconditionally is repressed every time he looks at her, for he cannot look at her without shuddering. Many men have swooned over her beauty and would sacrifice everything they own just to own her. Even with all the suitors awaiting her, she is interested in one particular man only. Unfortunately this happens to be the man whose infatuation with her is diffusing rapidly.

            His craving to remove the imperfection becomes unbearably strong, causing Aylmer to begin to think in eccentric ways. He begins to have spasmodic dreams. For instance, he dreams of removing the birthmark and accidentally killing his wife in the process (315). The ambition to achieve an ultimate goal can consequently alter the personality. This is exaggerated in soap operas constantly. Someone falls in love with another, kill that person’s partner to be with them, and the desire is fulfilled. Aylmer’s mind transforms into a dangerous chamber of thoughts when he sets out to complete his aspires to overpower and become nature. He has a myriad of amazing things already in his life however his core “want” causes everything else to be seen as un-important.

            Generally speaking, Aylmer is a good example of a victim just trying to find equilibrium of happiness in his life. Above all, his need to create perfection becomes a profuse amount of pressure for him to handle on a mentally stable level, which causes him to think and act irrationally. This passionate and hopelessly lost scientist was doomed from the beginning, for he will not let go of the impossibility to create perfection, something that humans are incapable of.

The Raft

The Censorship Committee

1234 Writing Lab Lane

Write City, IN 12345

To the Censorship Committee,

            It has come to my attention that there is a certain piece of literature that you are withholding from the public. By withholding I mean refusing to publish. I believe it would be a dire mistake not to publish Charlotte Perkins Gillman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”. I believe that some of your views on women are extremely fundamental, and what you have not realized is that world views are changing this very minute and if you do not change with them, you will be tornado spun into a world that will leave you confused and astonished. What I am saying is that women are a lot stronger than you think, and we deserve to be treated like queens, not slaves. It is better that you realize that sooner than later.

            Rumor has it that one of the main reasons you will not publish “The Yellow Wallpaper” is because it sheds a negative light on the “rest cure”. I would like to object but I have to say that you are absolutely correct. The rest cure is an abomination that does absolutely no justice for mentally ill women. A red flag should have gone up a long time ago when it was realized that the “rest cure” was only being performed on women. Somehow I doubt that there is no man in the entire world that does not suffer from hysteria, yet no one ever hears of a man being given that treatment. If the cure was suppose to work than it wouldn’t just be performed on women. This tells me that the cure was really invented to keep women in line. It would be a fantastic thing if the story drove women away from receiving the “rest cure”. This story would give women a chance to break their silence and make their own decisions.

            Women are without a doubt stronger than men. You fear that women will stray from household duties and set out on a mission of self discovery, to pursue interests outside of the home. Women should be able to discover who they really are, whether it’s in the house or out. Women have endured the painful experience of childbirth. Some women are brave enough to go through it multiple times. We wear ten inch heels from day to night and can run, jump and swim in them. Women have bared the burden of household duties which, in my opinion, is harder than a businessman who sits in the same spot all day signing papers. It is an extraordinary thing for a woman to be able to clean the house, make dinner, take care of children, grocery shop do laundry and all of the other responsibilities they have to take on. These skills and painful experiences make it easier for women to survive in the outside world than men. If women were given a chance, with the pain tolerance and multitasking skills they contain, they can do a man’s job ten times better, faster and more efficient.  Women are severely underestimated, but this story if published, can give women some confidence to break their silence and discover who they are and what they can really do in the world.

            Women get treated as if the world was flat and if they went outside they would fall off the edge. Women also behave in that way, which is why I believe that it is the right time to publish “The Yellow Wallpaper”. It is time for women to have their moment, to escape the confinement of a house with a white picket fence and a husband who loves them until they step out of line. If you think you can hold down women forever then you are foolishly mistaken. Take the time to think about the points that I brought up because, whether you want to admit it or not, they are plausible. If you do not believe me, then give it time, and you will realize that the world is changing.

Sincerely,

Nicole A. Longmuir

Driven Crazy By Sexual Desires

Driven Crazy by Sexual Desires

            Since the beginning of time, sexual desire has been one of the most hypnotic emotions to influence the human brain. Anyone who has a beating heart yearns to be held and touched intimately by another, for humans are indeed animals, and contain an uncontrollable and primitive sex drive that can be impervious to penetrate. There are, unfortunately, people who end up sexually desiring someone, who does not share the same feelings. This can ultimately lead them to think and behave unrealistically. Sammy, from the story “A&P” by John Updike, conveys a strong mental and physical attraction from a teenage boy’s perspective, that eventually causes him to act out spontaneously. Additionally, Mr. Kapasi from “Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri makes the same dire mistake as Sammy, however his desire becomes so great he generates vivid and impractical fantasies about a woman. 

            Sexual desire is such a strong emotion that it often causes rational people to think irrationally. In the short story “Interpreter of Maladies”, Mr. Kapasi meets a family of American tourists. As he spends time with the family he begins to desire the wife, Mrs. Das, not just sexually but romantically as well. When he first starts to feel an attraction towards her he begins to check himself out in the rear view mirror, and steal glances at her chest when she isn’t looking (Lahiri 53). Mrs. Das, who is completely unaware of Mr. Kapasi’s feelings, starts to share more conversations and ideas with him in an attempt to occupy herself while her husband ignores her. The nicer Mrs. Das becomes to Mr. Kapasi, the more he begins to irrationally fantasize over a fake romance that they will share. His fantasy begins as he writes his address for Mrs. Das. As he’s writing he thinks, “She would write to him, asking about his days interpreting, he would respond using entertaining anecdotes, ones that would make her laugh out loud. In time she would reveal the disappointment in her marriage and their friendship would grow and flourish.” (55). This is a colossal exaggeration of the relationship between Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das, because Mrs. Das’s only purpose was to send him the picture they took in the restaurant. Sexual desire really begins to dominate his mind when he finds out that the family returns to America in ten days. He calculates “A week to settle in, a week to develop the pictures, a few days to compose her letter, two weeks to get to India by air.”(59) For him to think this way about a woman he barely knows is absurd. Point in fact, this scene was the beginning of his obsession with Mrs. Das, which soon begins to amplify. Mr. Kapasi almost takes it a step further, deciding that when they arrive at the next destination, he will take her hand when Mr. Das is somewhere else (60). Mr. Kapasi is driven with delirious desires, consequently leading him to believe in his feelings. In his mind, his desires are passionate enough to give him confidence, that if he acts on them and takes her hand, she would respond positively.

            What is similar yet worse than thinking irrationally over sexual desires, is to act on those feelings in the heat of the moment. Acting out in cause of one’s sexual desires will lead to critical consequences that are toilsome to reverse. In the short story “A and P”, Sammy does not hide the fact that he is sexually attracted to the three girls that walk into the store half naked, especially the one he dubs “queenie.” He describes queenie with mesmeric detail as if he is entranced by her, taking his time to point out her most exciting attributes.  At one point he says, “She had on a kind of dirty pink bathing suit with a little nubble all over it and, what got me, the straps were down. They were off her shoulders wrapped loose around the cool tops of her arms, and I guess as a result the suit had slipped a little on her, so all around the top of the cloth there was this shining rim.” After fully describing her he goes on to say “I mean, it was more than pretty” (Updike 150). Furthermore, by this point in the story Sammy has admitted that he gets an erotic pleasure out of analyzing queenie and her half naked body. He displays his increasingly sexual desire for her when he mentions that he received the money from “the two smoothest scoops of vanilla I have ever known” (153). When Sammy’s boss obnoxiously embarrasses the girls  (152-153) he becomes so overwhelmed with anger that he turns to his boss and says “I quit.” His boss tries giving him the benefit of the doubt by warning him when he says “You’ll feel this for the rest of your life.” However, Sammy takes off his apron and storms out of the store (153). Sammy quit because his sexual feelings and desires for queenie created a “soft spot” that disrupted when he witnessed his boss embarrass her. After he leaves the store he says “I looked around for MY girls” (153). This could mean that his fantasies made it real and intense, as if queenie will be with him for quitting his job.

            Although many people believe that sexual desires cause people to act and think in crazy ways, others do not agree fully. There is a possibility that many people act irrationally because that is the way they are naturally. For example a drama queen or a very passionate and gullible person might be more susceptible to experience false fantasies than someone who is stern and strong willed. Moreover, it can be argued that the feeling must be reciprocated in some way in order to fantasize irrationally about someone, however this can be subjective. In “Interpreter of Maladies” some people argue that Mrs. Das leads Mr. Kapasi on by being charming and seductive the entire trip. This can go even further when she tells him to stay in the car with him and spills all of her lies and deceitfulness to him. She says that he is the only one that she has ever told (62). 

            This theme can be connected to Michelangelo’s sculpted statue of David. The statue of David was purposely sculpted to depict the appealing body of a warrior, naked with superior abdominals and bulging muscles embracing his body. This was done purposely because no matter what time period it is, sexual desire and physical attractiveness has always been a primary priority. People don’t just desire to look but also possess someone attractive. The statue can be a symbol of lust, desire, passion and sexuality.

            People will always think and desire in a sexual way. Sexually desiring another, even if they are unattainable, can corrupt the mind and cause an individual to think irrational thoughts and create unrealistic scenarios in the mind. As a result of acting on his desires, Sammy must now deal with the consequences of his actions. In particular he will have to face the embarrassment of his parents and hope to find another job. Likewise, Mr. Kapasi has no choice but to forget about Mrs. Das, for he will never see her again. The hunger for her will not vanquish instantly and in result of this Mr. Kapasi will be left heartbroken for a while, all because he let his desires get the best of him. People make choices that they will regret and can never take back. These choices can ruin the rest of their lives all because of temporary but very real and strong feelings of sexual desire that cannot be controlled.